Oranges: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

The sweet orange (Citrus x sinensis) is the round, juicy fruit of a tree in the citrus family (Rutaceae). The pulp (the segments) is eaten fresh and the juice is drunk. People eat oranges mostly for vitamin C and as an everyday fruit. This page separates the fruit from juice, from supplements and from hype, and says plainly where the evidence is thin.

Read this first

• Oranges are an everyday food, but any food can cause an allergic reaction. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911. See food allergy basics and emergency signs. We did not find an orange-specific source on how common true orange allergy is.
• Medicines: the FDA says Seville oranges (the bitter kind used in marmalade) might act like grapefruit juice and affect some medicines. [9] That page does not address ordinary sweet oranges, but it says one allergy medicine, fexofenadine, may not work as well with orange juice. [9] Ask a pharmacist about your own medicines.
• Potassium: the National Kidney Foundation lists one medium orange and orange juice among higher-potassium foods for people with kidney disease who are told to limit potassium. [11]
• Honest summary: vitamin C from foods such as oranges prevents scurvy (established). Claims that oranges prevent disease, "detox" the body or treat colds are not shown by the sources we read; most health findings are from observational studies or from juice and supplements.

What is in it (USDA values)

USDA data for raw oranges, all commercial varieties. One cup of sections is 180 g. [1]

Source: USDA FoodData Central item 169097 (SR Legacy). [1] The per-serving column is the USDA per-100 g value scaled to 180 g. USDA also lists 1 large orange as 184 g, 1 fruit (2-5/8 inch) as 131 g and 1 small orange as 96 g. [1] % Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, ripeness and storage.

The main plant compounds in orange studies are citrus flavanones such as hesperidin. [8] USDA also lists small amounts of carotenoids (for example 116 µg of beta-cryptoxanthin and 129 µg of lutein plus zeaxanthin per 100 g). [1] The human evidence we read on hesperidin used concentrated extracts or purified hesperidin, not the fruit (see below). We read no source that tested the carotenoids in oranges on health outcomes, so we make no claim about them.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as a supplement or extract. The scurvy and observational findings concern food. The cold results are for vitamin C pills and the hesperidin results are for concentrated extracts; a result for one form does not transfer to another. Orange juice trials used juice, which has less fiber than the whole fruit. [10] None of the sources we read shows that eating oranges treats a disease.

How much is a normal serving

We did not read an official fruit-group serving statement this session (the US MyPlate page could not be loaded), so we give only the USDA household portions: 1 cup of sections (180 g), 1 large orange (184 g), 1 fruit of 2-5/8 inch (131 g) or 1 small orange (96 g). [1] This is information, not a prescription.

• Fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juice: we did not find a sourced comparison of these forms for oranges. See fresh, frozen and canned produce and fruit juice vs whole fruit. The USDA values above are for the raw fruit.
• Cooking and storage: MedlinePlus says raw foods keep the most vitamin C, and that cooking, long storage and light exposure reduce it. [3]
• Reference intake: MedlinePlus lists vitamin C intakes from the National Academies (year not stated on the page): 90 mg a day for men and 75 mg for women, with 35 mg more for smokers. [3] The NHS gives 40 mg a day for UK adults aged 19 to 64. [2] These are official figures, not advice for you.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Allergy: the NHS says some people get an itchy mouth and throat after raw fruit, vegetables or nuts (oral allergy syndrome, or pollen food syndrome), usually not serious, and well-cooked fruit helps. [12] That page is not specific to oranges. For sudden swelling of the lips, mouth or throat, or trouble breathing, call emergency services (911 in the US). [12]
• Seville oranges and medicines: the FDA says Seville oranges, pomelos and tangelos might have the same effect as grapefruit juice, and that people on medicines with a grapefruit warning (for example some statins, nifedipine and cyclosporine) should avoid them. [9] See foods and medicine interactions. The ordinary sweet orange is not addressed by that page.
• Orange juice and medicines: a 2018 review of fruit juices other than grapefruit found no severely harmful orange juice interactions, though case reports exist. It listed orange juice as possibly lowering the absorption of several medicines, including atenolol, montelukast, fluoroquinolone antibiotics and alendronate. [10] The FDA notes fexofenadine may not work as well with orange juice. [9]
• Potassium and kidney disease: people with kidney disease may need to limit potassium, and the National Kidney Foundation puts one medium orange and orange juice on its higher-potassium list (200 mg or more per serving). [11] Ask a kidney dietitian. See kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• High-dose vitamin C supplements: this is about pills, not oranges. The NHS says more than 1,000 mg a day can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea and wind. [2] MedlinePlus says intakes above 2,000 mg a day are not recommended and can rarely cause kidney stones. [3] We read no source linking eating oranges to kidney stones: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read.
• Sugar and juice: an orange has about 9 g of sugars per 100 g with fiber; juice has less fiber. [1][10] See the diabetes row above for the observational juice findings. [7]
• Pregnancy: MedlinePlus lists an intake figure for pregnancy and does not recommend high vitamin C doses. [3] For ordinary food amounts we found no orange-specific caution in the sources we read.
• Pesticide residues, sulphites, choking and tooth enamel: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for this page.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Avoid bruised or damaged fruit, and choose pre-cut fruit only if it is kept cold. [14]
• Rinse whole fruit under running water even if you will peel it; the FDA says not to use soap or produce wash. [14]
• Keep cut or packaged produce in a refrigerator at 40°F or below. [14]

Related pages

• Citrus fruits
• Fruit juice vs whole fruit
• Fresh, frozen and canned produce
• Foods and medicine interactions: vitamin K, grapefruit and others
• Kidney disease, potassium and oxalates in foods
• Bitter orange